Cops fail to locate Tandon's son

JAIPUR: Revelations in the Ruchika suicide case involving former Haryana DGP, SPS Rathore, has impacted some states where tainted cops are roaming
scot-free despite being accused in cases of heinous nature. Rajasthan government had to face public ire as Meena tribals demonstrated against police failure to arrest IPS officer Madhukar Tandon, who is wanted on charges of raping a tribal woman, 13 years ago.
On Thursday, the state announced Rs 50,000 for any information about Tandon. The state police is now searching for family members, including Tandon's son, to ascertain the whereabouts of the tainted cop.
Police officials claimed they have come to know about Tandon's son only recently when they prepared records of all possible hideouts of the accused. Cops have conducted raids at many places to locate him. A senior cop admitted they have failed to locate even the son, let alone the culprit.
"Tandon had divorced his wife and had a son from her. After the teams. to nab the absconding officer, were formed in the last week of December, we came to know about him. The police have zeroed in' on his whereabouts and we hope that we will get a lead about Tandon through his son," said a senior police officer.
After Tandon was accused of raping the woman at his Noida residence on January 21, 1997, no background check of the accused was conducted. It proves police "leniency" in the matter. The victim and her family members allege that the officer was given special favours by the police due to his connections in the political and bureaucratic circles. They also say he visited Jaipur after the rape incident and even sold his property. This included a 1,500 square feet plot in Hanuman Nagar, a 10 bigha farmhouse on Ajmer Road and a plot of land in Vaishali Nagar. While the land transactions were being finalised, Tandon reportedly stayed at an IPS officer's bungalow in Jaipur.
The police officer claimed the SOG teams formed to nab the accused have conducted raids at many places in Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, but so far they have not been successful. The police ruled out the possibility of the officer migrating to another country. "We have not come across any clue suggesting he might have fled abroad. We would issue a red-corner notice if we got any clue regarding this," said the officer.
The basis of this confidence stems from the fact that Tandon does not possess an Indian passport. "We have checked records and have come to know that as he does not have a passport, his fleeing to some foreign country is unlikely, unless, he has forged a passport," said the officer.
On Wednesday, the police announced a cash reward of Rs 50,000 for anybody giving information on the former DIG. In the backdrop of Ruchika case, the rape involving Tandon hit headlines when the victim, a resident of Bandikui village in Dausa, staged a dharna near CM Ashok Gehlot's residence with her family and Dausa MP Kirori Lal Meena on December 30.
The victim and her family accused the police and government of being hand-in-glove with the former DIG. Home minister Shanti Dhariwal assured them that the matter would taken up seriously.